Tirumala is a spiritual town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the suburbs of the Tirupati urban agglomeration. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupati (rural) mandal of Tirupati revenue division. It is a hill town where Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is located, which is the abode of Vishnu. The town is strictly vegetarian.

Geography

Tirumala is located above sea level and covers an area of approximately . Surrounding the hills are seven peaks of

Seshachalam Seshachalam Hills are hilly ranges part of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh state, in southeastern India. The Seshachalam hill ranges are predominantly present in Tirupati district of the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, India. ...

range, Eastern Ghats namely Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple of Sri Venkateswara is on the seventh peak (

Venkatadri The Venkata hill (853 m) is part of the Seshachalam Hills, located in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Also known as Venkatadri or Venkatachalam, it is one of the seven peaks of the Tirumala Hill located in the temple town of Tirum ...

). At the point on the Tirupati – Tirumala Ghat road, there is a major discontinuity of stratigraphic significance that represents a period of remarkable serenity in the geological history of the Earth. This is referred to as the

Eparchaean Unconformity Tirupati Eparchaean Unconformity, a notified National Geo-heritage Monumentunconformity separates the Nagari Quartzite of the

Proterozoic The Proterozoic () is a geological eon spanning the time interval from 2500 to 538.8million years ago. It is the most recent part of the Precambrian "supereon". It is also the longest eon of the Earth's geologic time scale, and it is subdivided ...

from the granite of the Archean, representing a time gap of 800

Mya Mya may refer to: Brands and product names * Mya (program), an intelligent personal assistant created by Motorola * Mya (TV channel), an Italian Television channel * Midwest Young Artists, a comprehensive youth music program Codes * Burmese ...

. In 2001, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) declared the Eparchaean Unconformity to be one of the 26 "Geological Monuments of India". Natural stone arch in tirumala

Silathoranam, a natural arch and a distinctive geological wonder is located in Tirumala Hills at a distance of from Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The arch measures in width and metres in height and is eroded out of quartizite of Cuddapah Supergroup of Middle to Upper

(1600 to 570

) by weathering agents such as water and wind.

Climate

Tirumala has a tropical wet and dry climate designated Aw under the Köppen climate classification. As the hill shrine is situated amidst the hills, the temperature will go below 10 degrees in winter. Summers are not as hot here, especially compared to Tirupati. The southwest monsoon season starts from June, but rains are not heavy. Occasionally, thunderstorms form and downpours may persist for hours. Pertaining to orographic relief, the northeast monsoon remains active over the region for 2 months. It causes flooding. The highest 24-hour rainfall on record was on 23 November 2005, followed by on 9 November 2015.

Legend

In ancient literature, Tirupati is mentioned as Aadhi Varaha Kshetra. The

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

associate the site with Lord Varaha, one of the

Dashavatara The Dashavatara ( sa, दशावतार, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindus, Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning " ...

of Lord Vishnu. In Varaha Purana, Venkatadri is believed to be a part of Mount Meru, which was brought on to the earth from Vishnu's abode Vaikuntam by his mount Garuda. The seven peaks represent the seven heads of Adisesha.

Demographics

India census, Tirumala has a population of 7,741. Males constitute 52 percent of the population and females 48 percent. Tirumala has an average literacy rate of 72.8 percent, higher than the national average of 59.5 percent. The male literacy rate is 57.1 percent and the female rate is 42.9 percent. In Tirumala, 11 percent of the population is under six years of age.

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

is the major language. Hinduism is the only religion in Tirumala.

Culture

The town of Tirumala is strictly vegetarian. Consumption of non-vegetarian food,

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

, and tobacco products is strictly prohibited in Tirumala, and smuggling any of these is considered a serious offence at Tirumala. Dhotis and Sarees are the traditional popular attire. The practices of tonsure and using tilaka are popular among devotees of Lord Venkateswara. Festivals Lord Venkateswara on Gaja Vahanam

Sri Venkateswara Brahmotsavams celebrated every year during September/October is the most important festival in Tirumala when it receives lakhs of devotees over a short span of a nine days. The city celebrates all major Hindu festivals including Sankranti, Ugadi etc.

Vaikunta Ekadasi Vaikuntha Ekadashi () is a Hindu occasion and festival. It is primarily observed by Vaishnavas, who regard it to be a special Ekādaśī. It coincides with '' Mokṣadā Ekādaśī'' or Putrada Ekādaśī. It is observed on the 11th lunar da ...

, the day on which it is believed that Vaikunta Dwarams will be opened, is celebrated in Tirumala.

Rathasapthami Ratha Saptami or Rathasapthami ( sa, रथसप्तमी or Magha Saptami) is a Hindu festival that falls on the seventh day ( Saptami) in the bright half (''Shukla Paksha'') of the Hindu month Maagha. It is symbolically represented in the ...

is another festival, celebrated during February, when Lord Venkateswara processional deity, ( Malayappa) is taken in a procession around the temple on seven different vahanas from early morning to late night. Cuisine Tirupati is known for world-famous Tirupati Laddu. It is the prasadam at Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. Tirupati Laddu had got Geographical indication tag which entitles only Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to make or sell it. Arts, crafts and architecture Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams established Sri Venkateswara Museum, one at Tirumala and the other at Tirupati. It has a wonderful collection of Tirupati temple architecture and historical artefacts, such as ancient weaponry, pooja items and idols. It has a comprehensive photo gallery that gives a unique insight into the Tirupati region's culture and traditions. It also boasts a meditation centre.

Landmarks

Venkateswara Temple is an abode of Lord Venkateswara situated in Tirumala. It is also known as Tirumala Temple. Natural Arch is located north of the temple, which measures wide and high and was naturally formed from the quartz. ''Srivaari Paadamulu'' (the footprints of Lord) are believed to be the footprints of Lord Venkateswara formed when he first stood on Tirumala Hills. ''Papavinasanam'' is a waterfall flowing from a tributary of the Swarnamukhi River. It also has a temple where seven lion-headed channels open from a height for deities to bathe below them. A temple dedicated to goddess

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

is located near the enclosure. ''Akaasa Ganga'' is another natural waterfall in Tirumala.

Transport

Foot Steps There are two paths to travel on foot from Tirupati to Tirumala. These paths are called ''Sopanamargas''. The Devotees to fulfil their Vow to Lord Venkateswara will take this path to reach Tirumala on foot from Tirupati. Both the paths are completely roofed and passes through seven hills which are part of Seshachalam Hills. * Alipiri Mettu – The first and Ancient path starts from Alipiri and consists of a total 3550 Steps which makes a distance of 11 km. At Alipiri there is a temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara called Padalamandapam. There are Four Gopurams(Temple Towers) on the way. * Srivari Mettu – It originates at Srinivasa Mangapuram, about from Tirupati. It is long. This trail has 2388 steps and is shorter than Alipiri Metlu path. Road Tirumala can be accessed by road from Alipiri. The distance is . There are two roads from Alipiri to Tirumala, one each dedicated to up and down traffic. The

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates frequent ''Saptagiri'' and ''Saptagiri Express'' buses from Tirupati and Alipiri and also from nearby places. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) runs free buses for transit within Tirumala. Rail The nearest railway station is at Tirupati, about from Tirumala.

Tirupati Main railway station Tirupati railway station (station code: TPTY) is a railway station located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves Tirupati and experiences a regular flow of tourists visiting the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in the Tirupati district. I ...

is one of the major railway station in the South Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways, providing rail connectivity to major parts of India. It is under the jurisdiction of Guntakal railway division. is another important railway station which lies on the Chennai – Mumbai rail corridor is away from Tirumala. Airport The nearest airport is Tirupati Airport, about from Tirumala. It is a domestic airport with direct flights to Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and New Delhi. The nearest major airport is the Chennai International Airport, located about from Tirumala.

References

External links

Most Visited Holy Place in the World – World RecordVasista ashramam, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Tirupati Website
{{Authority control Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2004 All articles containing potentially dated statements Tirupati Towns in Tirupati district Hindu holy cities Hills of Andhra Pradesh Tourist attractions in Andhra Pradesh Geography of Tirupati district Mountains of Andhra Pradesh Vegetarian towns in India